Elgsnes is a village in

Harstad Municipality ( se, Hárstták) is the second-most populated municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is mostly located on the large island of Hinnøya. The municipal center is the town of Harstad, the most populous town in Central Hålogaland, ...

Troms og Finnmark Troms og Finnmark (; sme, Romsa ja Finnmárku ; fkv, Tromssa ja Finmarkku; fi, Tromssa ja Finnmark, lit. Troms and Finnmark in English language, English), is a Counties of Norway, county in Northern Norway, northern Norway that was established ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. It is located on the northeastern part of the large island of

Hinnøya Hinnøya is the fourth-largest island in Norway, and the largest outside the Svalbard archipelago. The lies just off the western coast of Northern Norway. The island sits on the border of Nordland and Troms og Finnmark counties. The western pa ...

, along the

Andfjorden Andfjorden is a fjord on the border of Nordland and Troms og Finnmark counties in Norway. It primarily flows between the large islands of Andøya and Senja. Grytøya and the smaller islands Bjarkøya and Krøttøya are located in the fjord. The m ...

, about northwest of the town of Harstad and about north of the village of

Kasfjord Kasfjord is a village in Harstad Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located at the end of the Kasfjorden on the north side of Hinnøya island, about west of the town of Harstad and about south of the village of ...

. Elgsnes is located at the tip of a narrow peninsula, looking across the Toppsundet strait towards the village of Grøtavær on the island of

Grytøya or is an island in Harstad Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The island lies just north of the large island of Hinnøya and south of the island of Bjarkøya. It is surrounded by the Vågsfjorden in the east and the Andfjorden ...

Elgsnes Chapel Elgsnes Chapel ( no, Elgsnes kapell) is a chapel of the Church of Norway in Harstad Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the village of Elgsnes on the island of Hinnøya, just northwest of the Harstad (town), town of ...

is located in this village.

History

Elgsnes has been inhabited from the early Stone Age, at least 10,000 years ago. Many finds have been made in and around the village. Some of the finds come from the Neolithic period (5000 – 2000 B.C.), but from the Bronze Age (2000 – 0 B.C.) there is little left from the two big cairns. A woman's grave from the Merovingian period (600 – 800 A.D.) was richly equipped, including jewelry from the Baltic region and Karelia. A blacksmith's grave from the Viking Age (800 - 1.050 A.D.) was, when it was opened in the 1950s, considered to be the fourth richest of its kind in Scandinavia. The trade station down at Raten has a history dating back to 1675. At its peak there were 23 houses at the promontory, including the main building from 1723. In 1798, the trade station got a royal license as a guesthouse, so the use of the building for overnight guests started more than 200 years ago. As

Harstad ( se, Hárstták) is the second-most populated municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is mostly located on the large island of Hinnøya. The municipal center is the Harstad (town), town of Harstad, the most populous town in Centra ...

developed as a trade center, the trade in Elgsnes declined, and in 1914 it came to an end. The houses were sold off, so today only the main building is left from the old trade station houses.

References

Harstad Villages in Troms {{Troms-geo-stub